iPad Finger Paintings Capture Chicago at Night (VIDEO)

LAKEVIEW — Steve Connell has spent the last few years painting glimmering Chicago nightscapes — on his iPad.

"Had someone told me five years ago that at some point in the future I was going to be painting on my telephone, I wouldn't believe it," the Lakeview artist said.

Connell, who works as a commercial illustrator, first started dabbling with an app called "Brushes" in 2010. He'd seen a painting by Jorge Colombo on a New Yorker cover, and was shocked to learn the artist had fingerpainted it on an iPad.

"About 20 minutes later, I had not only downloaded the app, but I had created my first painting," Connell said.